Reference Year Definition
Gibson GR &Robefroid11 1995 Non-digestible food ingredient that beneficially affects the host by selectively stimulating the growth and/or activity of one or a limited number of bacteria already resident in the colon
Reid et al.12 2003 Nondigestible substances that provide a beneficial physiologic effect on the host by selectively stimulating the favorable growth or activity of a limited number of indigenous bacteria.
Gibson et al.13 2004 selectively fer­mented ingredients that allow specific changes, both in the composition and/or activity in the gastrointestinal microflora that confers benefits upon host well-being and health
Robefroid et al.14 2007 A selectively fermented ingredient that allows specific changes, both in the composition and/or activity in the gastrointestinal microflora, that confer benefits upon host well-being and health.
Pineiro et al.15 2008 A non-viable food component that confers a health benefit on the host associated with modulation of the microbiota
Gibson et al.16 2010 Dietary prebiotics’ as “a selectively fermented ingredient that results in specific changes in the compo­sition and/or activity of the gastrointestinal microbiota, thus conferring benefit(s) upon host health
Bindels et al.17 2015 Non-digestible compound that, through its metabolization by microorganisms in the gut, modulates the composition and/or activity of the gut microbiota, thus, conferring a beneficial physiological effect on the host.
Gibson et al.18 2017 A substrate that is selectively utilized by host microorganisms conferring a health benefit